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Interdisciplinary Teaching Tips

Notebook Organization
Melissa, 8th Grade English Teacher

"My 8th graders were extremely unorganized and they were constantly
losing their homework, worksheets and essays. When it came time for an open
notebook quiz, they couldn't find their notes. So I modified the rubric
generator for the notebook and I put that up on a bulletin board. I heard
of an idea last year from another teacher in another school system where
the teacher kept a notebook along with the class. So I then bought notebooks
for each class and kept a notebook along with them. If a student is missing,
he/she can see what he/she is missing by going to the notebook. So far,
my students haven't lost any of their work and they are forever checking
my notebooks because they know if they are missing even one item, they will
lost a lot of points when I do a notebook check! Slowly but surely, their
notebooks are becoming more neat and organized!"

Remarkable Women
Peg, Junior High School Teacher: Sparta, NJ

"During the month of March (or anytime), recognize notable women in
history. Encourage students to read biographies of these women to learn
about the significant contributions they have made. A list of some notable
women can include: Sally Ride, Shirley Chisholm, Emily Dickinson, Pearl
Buck, Betsy Ross, Margaret Mead, Marion Anderson, Helen Hayes, Ella Grasso,
Eleanor Roosevelt, Grandma Moses, Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis, Harriet Tubman,
and many more."

Community Awareness
Ken, Special Education Teacher: Denver, Colorado

"Take students on a field trip to a community site. Before the trip,
have students decide on the group rules for the trip, questions to be asked
and answered and a list of things that will be viewed. Each student should
bring a note pad on the trip. After the trip, ask the children to complete
a mural illustrating their experience. Permit students to discuss their
interests related to the trip, divide them into "interest" groups
and ask each group to write the story of their experience. Have each group
report out to the entire group. Collate the final writing products and have
all of it bound in a book to be displayed in the classroom."

"Use graphic organizer, semantic maps, or webs to develop a theme
on any topic. Start with a concept and build around that concept by asking
students to tell what they already know. Once the mapping is complete, create
categories that tie the various responses together for each category. Show
students the relationships of the categories and explain how virtually any
topic has many perspectives that can be considered. For example, when studying
any given "culture," the areas that can be explored include historical,
economic, geographical, social, and political perspectives."

Playing Detective
Roseanne, 4th Grade Teacher: Big Canoo, Georgia

"Kids love mystery! Have students develop brief paragraphs about famous
people in history without naming the person in the description. Also have
them describe where this person lived without naming the place. Have students
trade their papers with each other (in pairs). Ask the "reader"
to list the hints that are evident in the description and to name the person
and place from those hints. Reproduce the paragraphs on index cards and
use as a game for the entire class at the end of the year. Great review!"

Author Month
Lenny, 6th Grade Teacher: Lowell, MA

"Pick a month that you designate as "Author Month." Divide
students into groups and assign a particular subject to each group. You
can begin with major subject areas like Mathematics, Science, Social Studies,
or Language Arts. You can always add Music, Art, Physical Education, or
Home Economics. Once the main categories are picked, ask the students to
search for authors who wrote about the topic that was assigned to them.
Display the list of books that students compile at the end of the month."

Indoor Recess
Thomas, 2nd Grade Teacher: Nevada

"On those consecutive rainy days, see if your school's gymnasium is
available during your recess time or day. Instead of having an indoor classroom
recess, hold your session in the gym!"

"Plan The Menu"
Jacky Sreans, Elementary Teacher

"In our school we have a really dedicated cafeteria staff. Last year,
they challenge the teachers of our building to use their resources as much
as possible for student benefit. With the help of my principal, I was able
to include a great culminating activity for my Nutrition Unit. My class
researches and plans an entire week of school menu.

After we learn about a balanced diet, we visit the cafeteria and learn
about what foods they have available or can order. We plan the menu about
four weeks prior to the serving week. The menu must be balanced and overall
healthy. Students get really involved and are very creative with the menu.
We submit the menu for approval to the principal and the head of food services.
Upon approval, they order the items and we serve the school.

This year we included our hygiene unit and actual served the school for
one lunch period. I would highly recommend this activity to all teachers
that have the resources to do such an activity."